


Drifting Away

by jenhedgehog



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brainwashing, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 10:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13432359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenhedgehog/pseuds/jenhedgehog
Summary: Lapis Lazuli has fled the earth, to a place where she believes that the Diamonds will never be able to find her.Until one day, when she's captured by Homeworld's forces - and brainwashed to follow Blue Diamond again.Lapis is sent to earth on a mission to destroy the Crystal Gems.  She arrives in Beach City and is immediately confronted by Steven and a heartbroken Peridot...





	Drifting Away

_“No!  Please... Let go of me!”_

_“We can’t do that, Lapis Lazuli!  We’re under strict instructions from Blue Diamond herself...”_

_“But why?!  No-one should have been able to find me here!”_

_“Oh, we do have our ways.  Don’t be so angry, we’re doing you a favour!”_

_“What, by making me a prisoner again?!”_

_“Hahaha!  No, not at all.  You won’t be a prisoner for much longer, this is just a necessity for the time being.  Just in case you decide to resist the inevitable.”_

_“W-what are you going to do with me?!”_

_“It should be quite a quick and simple procedure; the very first of its kind!”_

_“I-I don’t understand... I’m of no use to you... please, just let me go...”_

_“Don’t worry, Lapis Lazuli, you’ll be free in no time – free to serve your Diamond once more...”_

 

\---

 

Peridot had never felt so alone.  She sighed heavily as she sat gazing at the stars above her, just like she’d done almost every night since that fateful day when her heart was shattered...

 

 “Why, Lapis... _why_ did you leave me?”

 

The technician absent-mindedly stroked a finger across the sand, drawing a picture in the grains.  It depicted a simpler time, back when she lived with Lapis and Pumpkin in the barn.  Just the three of them.  Not a care in the world.

 

 _A happier time_.

 

The green Gem lifted her visor and wiped away a tear as she felt that familiar sensation building up inside her; the pure, unrelenting emotional agony that had been plaguing her for what felt like an eternity.

 

She had no idea how long she was sat on the beach for.  Time seemed to have lost all its meaning now.  All she knew was that she would wait for the sun to rise, as she always did; even though it wasn’t the same, now that she was alone.

 

With a heavy heart, she looked towards the sun – and made her wish.

 

“Please... I just want Lapis to come back...” she murmured, her voice cracking slightly with emotion, “E-even if I never see the barn again!  Just let her come back to me...” 

 

\---

 

_“There we go – all done!”_

_“Can we confirm that the procedure worked?”_

_“According to the readouts, it was a complete success.  We’ll have a better idea, of course, once she regains consciousness.”_

_“She does seem to be stirring, actually...  Hello over there, can you hear me?”_

_“Uh... y-yes, I can hear you....”_

_“Good, good.  Now then, tell us – who are you?”_

_“I... I am Lapis Lazuli...”_

_“And for what purpose do you exist, Lapis Lazuli?”_

_“I exist to serve my Diamond.  Blue Diamond.”_

_“Excellent!  We have an incoming transmission from Blue Diamond’s court; it seems that she wants to send you on a little mission.  Are you willing to do that?”_

_“Of course.  I’d do anything for my Diamond...”_

\---

 

Peridot was lying on her back on the beach, staring at nothing in particular.  She jumped slightly as she heard someone calling her name.

 

“Hey, Peridot!”  It was Steven.

 

Peridot lazily rolled over in the sand and sat up.

 

“Hi, Steven...” she mumbled in reply.

 

“Amethyst and I are going to do some more gardening today, do you wanna join us?” he asked with a smile, desperately trying to help the technician to take her mind off the emotional weight that was pressing on her chest.

 

“I guess so...” she replied as she dragged herself to her feet, glancing over at the ocean one last time before following Steven.

 

But something made her stop dead in her tracks.  She thought she could see something moving at terrifying speed, flying over the top of the sea.

 

“Steven, what’s that?” she enquired as she squinted at the ocean, trying desperately to see what was going on.  The young boy also stared at the spot to which Peridot was now pointing.

 

Then they both realised.

 

“ _LAPIS_!” Peridot screamed out in delight as she ran headlong towards the water.  As the Ocean Gem got closer to the ground, however, Peridot sensed that something was very wrong indeed...

 

The blue Gem landed right in front of the ocean, her head bowed.  Without saying a word, she slowly raised an arm – the action was immediately mirrored by the waters beside her, as a massive water hand emerged.  Peridot squealed as the gigantic hand picked her up off the floor and began to squeeze her.

 

“Lapis!” Steven yelled as he sprinted towards the scene, “Let her go!”

 

“No!” Lapis yelled, “I’m going to destroy each and every one of you pathetic Crystal Gems!”

 

“ _WHAT_?!”

 

Steven flinched at the pure hatred that was written right across the blue Gem’s face.  He cried out in alarm as the water arm slammed into the ground at full force, sending poor Peridot sprawling at Lapis’ feet with a whimper. 

 

“L-lapis...” she murmured pathetically, “What are you talking about?”

 

“You heard me!” she growled, a terrifying look in her eye, “My Diamond sent me here to finish you all off!”

 

Peridot looked up at the blue Gem, tears now streaming down her face. 

 

“Lapis... this isn’t you...” She tried to reach out a hand to Lapis; the Ocean Gem replied by swiftly kicking her square in the gut, causing her to fall back into the sand again.

 

“How would you know _anything_ about me?!”  she spat at a distraught Peridot, “I’ve never even met you until now!  As if I’d ever associate with a lowlife rebel like you!”

 

Before either Steven or Peridot could react, Lapis had lifted both of her arms.  Without warning, two imposing water hands snatched the Crystal Gems off their feet and flung them down the beach at full force.

 

Steven landed face-first in the sand with a groan.  Peridot, however, was not so lucky.  Her forehead struck a rock as she descended – causing a sickening pain to shoot across her face.  She raised a trembling hand to her gem, and wailed as she realised what had happened.

 

_It was broken._

 

“Peridot, we need to get back to the Temple!  We need the other Crystal Gems to help us fight-”

 

“NO!” Peridot screeched through her tears, “I’m _not_ fighting her!”

 

“B-but Peridot...”

 

“I don’t care, Steven!  I refuse to hurt her...”

 

Steven cried out as something barrelled into him at an alarming pace – it was a water clone of himself.

 

“Oh man, not this again...” he wailed as he quickly got to his feet and began trying to defend himself against this watery foe.

 

Peridot, on the other hand, looked back over at Lapis.

 

“What’s happened to you?!” she yelled.  The answer came in the form of another towering water hand reaching for her.  The technician managed to roll out of the way – and began to race towards her barn mate.

 

“Whatever this is, you d-don’t have to do it!!” she screamed at the top of her voice as she ran, her shoulders shaking with each heaving sob that wracked her small body.

 

“Yes I do!” Lapis shouted back, “I live to serve my Diamond!”

 

The Ocean Gem caused the water to raise up underneath Peridot’s feet and throw her high into the air.  The technician fell face-first into the sand, clutching her aching gem as she shakily pulled herself to her knees.  Her body was beginning to glitch violently as the deep crack in her gem started to spread.  Slowly and painfully, she crawled closer to the Ocean Gem.

 

“Pathetic...” Lapis smirked as she looked down at the tiny green Gem, “Just give up now and let me finish shattering you.”

 

“Lapis, don’t d-do this...” Peridot sobbed, “P-please... I... I love-”

 

“Shut up!” the blue Gem snapped fiercely, “Nothing can save you now!  Look at you, you won’t even put up a fight!”

 

“I... don’t want t-to hurt you...” Peridot whimpered.

 

“ _Ha_!  You’d never be able to hurt me even if you wanted to!”  The Ocean Gem let out a callous laugh as she raised her hand to finish the technician off.

 

In that moment, something snapped in Peridot’s mind.  No, she wouldn’t fight back, but she had to do something...

 

Using the last of her strength, the green Gem hurled herself to her feet and threw herself at Lapis – clutching her beloved barn mate in a tight embrace.

 

“W-what do you think you’re doing?!” Lapis yelled, “Let go of me!”

 

“I w-won’t!” Peridot chocked out in-between sobs, “Y-you’re my world, L-lapis... and... I’m n-n-never letting you go!”

 

Lapis’ arms fell to her sides as the whole world seemed to stop moving and Peridot’s words reverberated inside her head.  Somehow, this all seemed so familiar to her. 

 

Lapis’ mind began to spin out of control.  Nothing made sense to her anymore, as thoughts chased themselves around in a meaningless whirl.  Unable to think straight, she fell to her knees in a daze...

 

\---

 

_“Hey, Lapis!”_

_“What is it, Peridot?”_

_“I.. uh... I just want to express my gratitude to you!_

_“Huh?”_

_“You know, for everything that you do!  For all the time that we spend together!  You, me and Pumpkin...”_

_“Oh, I see!  Well, in that case, I guess I should thank you too, Peridot... wait, what are you doing?”_

_“I’m trying to give you a hug!”_

_“Haha!  Ok then, come here, Peridot...”_

_“Hey, Lapis... I don’t know what I’d do without you.”_

_“You say that like I’m going somewhere, Peridot!  But I’m not.  You... you’re my family now, and I’m never letting you go...”_

\---

 

“W-what am I _doing_?!”

 

When Lapis realised what was happening, she found herself sat in the sand cradling Peridot gently in her arms.  The technician had lost consciousness now, her body glitching ever more intensely by the second.  Steven was sat by her head; he licked his hand and applied it firmly to Peridot’s gem, breathing a huge sigh of relief as the damage began to repair itself.

 

Peridot slowly opened her eyes.  Still feeling dazed, she stared up at Lapis, who was now sobbing.

 

“L-lapis...” she muttered weakly, “What’s happening?”

 

“It’s okay, Peridot... it’s okay...” Lapis whispered gently as she stroked Peridot’s face.

 

“Lapis, what happened to you?” a concerned Steven asked.

 

“I... I don’t know,” a frantic Lapis tried to explain, “I got captured by Homeworld, and it’s all hazy after that... I think I might have been fighting with someone, and...”

 

Lapis looked at Peridot again and gasped in horror as the realisation dawned on her.

 

“Oh no... Steven... _I_ did this, didn’t I?!”

 

“Lapis, it wasn’t your fault...” Steven carefully tried to tell her, “I think you were under Homeworld’s control or something...”

 

“Oh Peridot... I’m s-so sorry...  I’m so sorry...”

 

“Lapis, please don’t blame yourself, there’s nothing you could have done!” Steven cried.

 

“No, Steven – I never should have left in the first place,” Lapis answered while still gazing at Peridot, who had fallen unconscious again, “And I’ll never leave again...”

 

Steven put his arm around Lapis as the pair of them sat on the beach, keeping a close eye on Peridot as her gem continued to heal.  The damage was so severe that even Steven’s healing power couldn’t instantly fix it; it would take some time for it to repair itself completely.

 

As night fell, Steven headed back to the Temple, Lapis insisting that she’d stay on the beach with Peridot rather than trying to move her – as the technician was still drifting in and out of consciousness.  The Ocean Gem stared up at the night sky, as she had done on so many occasions with her beloved Peridot, and found a particularly bright star to focus her attention on.  Silently, with her heart aching beyond words, she made a wish to herself...

 

\---

 

_“Lapis!  Please... don’t leave me again!”_

_“Peridot, it’s okay – I told you, I’m just going to get the barn back.”_

_“P-please don’t be too long...”_

_“I won’t.  I promise.”_

_“Lapis... do you think it might be safer if we go together?”_

_“I guess it couldn’t hurt, if you want to come with me.”_

_“I’d love to!”_

_“Haha!  Just hold on tight then, okay?  We’ll go and see the stars up close for a change...  Just you and I...”_


End file.
